Tea With Jane
by hoc-et-quod
Summary: Jane Foster had always been a good listener.  Follow-up to "Chocolate Milk and Cookies"


**Title:** Tea with Jane

**Summary:** Jane Foster was always a good listener.

**Characters:** Loki, Jane Foster

* * *

><p><strong>LokiofAsgard:<strong> Hello, Miss Jane.

**DoctorJane:** Loki! I haven't heard from you an ages! How are you?

**LokiofAsgard: **I'm fine, thank you. Sorry I haven't contacted you in so long. I haven't been to Midgard lately. My StarkPad is pretty useless in Asgard.

**DoctorJane: **Still haven't convinced Odin to put up a reception tower?

**LokiofAsgard:** LOL! No.

**LokiofAsgard: **Probably wouldn't even work.

**LokiofAsgard: **Though, I'm experimenting with portals.

**LokiofAsgard: **So far I haven't been able to get a good signal to transmit through one.

**DoctorJane:** Well, I'm sure if anybody can figure it out, it will be you.

**DoctorJane:** Since you're on Earth, do you have time to pay a visit? I haven't seen you in so long.

**DoctorJane:** I have chocolate milk :)

**LokiofAsgard:** :)

**LokiofAsgard:** Tea will be fine, thank you.

**LokiofAsgard:** I should be able to tomorrow evening.

**DoctorJane:** Wonderful! I'll see you then!

**LokiofAsgard: **Goodnight, Miss Jane

**DoctorJane:** Goodnight, Loki.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Loki teleported into an alleyway several blocks away from Jane's place. He wore a Midgardian suit so he wouldn't stand out in Broxton. Since Asgard left Midgard, the small town had gotten used to not having people in strange clothing walking about. He had to actually wear the clothes as his glamors still had the tendency to fail when he got distracted. That had gotten him into trouble more than once.

He straightened his clothes and walked out of the alley. Nobody blinked an eye at a man in a business suit strolling down the street. He walked up to Jane's door and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a smiling Jane Foster.

"Loki! How wonderful to see you!" she said as she gave him a big hug.

"It's good to see you, too, Miss Jane," Loki replied, returning the hug.

She pulled back and looked up at him. "The last time I saw you, you were-" she held her hand at eye level. "And now look at you! So tall and handsome."

"And you look as beautiful as ever," Loki replied.

"I see the myths were right about you silver tongue," she said with a laugh. "Come in!"

Jane lead Loki into her living room. There was already a teapot and two cups on the coffee table.

"So how have you been?" Jane asked as she poured him a cup of tea.

"I've been good," Loki replied. "How have you been?"

"Likewise," she replied. "My practice is doing very well. How are your studies?"

In response, Loki created a little ball of light. He let it hover over his hand for a bit before sending it floating over to Jane. Jane reached out tentatively and the ball popped like a bubble when she touched it.

"How delightful!" she laughed.

"I know a more spells. But your furniture might not survive...or your house," Loki said.

"Ah, well, they sound very impressive." She paused. "And how is Lady Sigyn?"

Loki was glad he hadn't taken a drink of tea as he probably would have spit it out at that point. "I see you've been talking with my brother."

"He's very happy for you, Loki, and so am I."

"It's very nice to have a new friend," Loki said.

"Friend?" Jane asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, friend," Loki repeated.

Jane laughed. "If you say so."

That effectively killed the conversation so they sat in silence for a bit.

"What's wrong, Loki?" Jane asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing," Loki said quickly. Too quickly, he realized. What was it about Jane Foster that rendered him incapable of lying effectively?

"You have that look," Jane said.

"What look?"

"The 'I'm having a problem and I would really like to talk to Miss Jane about it, but I'm going to pretend everything is just fine' look."

"I didn't realize I had that look," Loki admitted.

"You've had it since you walked into the door," Jane replied. "So..."

Loki looked down at his tea cup for a while, gathering his thoughts. "What did Thor tell you about Lady Sigyn and me?"

"He told me you were married before," Jane replied.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

Loki took a deep breath before continuing. "Our marriage was not a pleasant one for Lady Sigyn. It began with a lie. I killed her fiancee and took his place. It only got worse after that; I treated her very badly. After The Siege, she was finally free of me. But Thor brought me back. Because of that, she wasn't able to find a proper companion. They were all afraid I'd kill them. Finally, she approached me."

Loki didn't look at Jane after he finished. He just stared down at his cooling tea. Jane was quite for a long while. Loki was just getting ready to risk a look up when she finally spoke.

"Does it offend you that she only approached you as a last resort?"

Loki did look up at that. "No! The fact that she approached me at all is unbelievable."

"Do you dislike her?"

"Of course, not! But..." Loki trailed off.

"But?"

"I'm afraid," Loki whispered.

"Of what?"

"Of hurting her," Loki replied. He placed down the tea cup and sat back in the chair, letting out a sharp breath. "Or that she'll wise up and leave."

Jane sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "The first thing you need to do is stop beating yourself up over the past. _You_ did not do these things. You are a completely different person than he was. The second is to make sure you don't do anything to make her want to 'wise up and leave'."

"It's not that simple," Loki protested.

"Of course it is!" Jane returned. "Don't be a jerk; simple as that."

That made Loki laugh. "Well, when you put it that way-"

Jane reached over and took his hand. "Of course, there is no guarantee that things will work out. That's just the risk you take when you dare to love somebody. So cherish what ever time you have with her, be it a few years or eternity."

"Thank you, Miss Jane," Loki said, giving her hand a squeeze. "This talk has helped a great deal."

Jane rose to her feet and began picking up the cooled teapot and cups. "I'll be right back," she said, walking to the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later and placed something on the coffee table in front of Loki. He smiled up at her.

It was a tray of chocolate milk and cookies.

* * *

><p>The <strong>LokiofAsgard <strong>screen name came straight out of JIM #622.

This was the fic I was trying to write when I ended up with _Chocolate Milk and Cookies_. My "this is how Loki and Jane became BFFs" flashback went longer than I anticipated so I decided to break it out as its own short fic.

Putting Loki in a suit had absolutely nothing to do with that scene in the Thor movie. Nothing!

(You're not buying it, are you?)


End file.
